Physics & chemistry / DAY 34 OF 40
Meet solid smoke.
An aerogel can be almost entirely empty space.
Here's the strange part.
“Solid smoke” sounds like a contradiction with good branding. Aerogels can have a solid structure that is almost entirely empty space. One JPL aerogel described in a 2002 record report was 99.8 per cent air, with a density of just three milligrams per cubic centimetre. That particular material was extraordinarily light; the numbers are not a specification for every aerogel. (NASA JPL)
The 99.8% figure and historical density record concern particular aerogels. Not every aerogel has the same composition or density.
REALITY CHECK · TRUE OR FALSE?
Solid smoke: one size fits all?
Every aerogel has exactly the same density and composition.
Go straight to the receipts.
Curious about the methods, dates or details? Open the original source and keep the caveat in view.
ORIGINAL SOURCENASA JPLOpen publication ↗NEXT IN THE 40-DAY TRAIL / DAY 35A very unusual museum exhibit. ↗